Viral video of shark caught in Guadalupe River alarms tubers

NEW BRAUNFELS – A viral TikTok video of a Texas man catching a bull shark in the Guadalupe River has raised concerns about tubers in New Braunfels.

The 230-mile Guadalupe River is a popular tubing destination that stretches from the Texas coast to the Hill Country. However, TikTok user Jonathanaguayo5 did not share any information on where the shark was caught along the river.

This led the city of New Braunfels to use social media to debunk sharks in the river.

“Despite recent social media posts warning tubers about catching a shark in the Guadalupe River, no sharks have been reported in the relatively shallow fresh waters of the Guadalupe River in New Braunfels,” a declared the city. “The Guadalupe River is actually about 230 miles long, stretching from Kerr County to the Gulf of Mexico and there are 6 hydroelectric dams along the river between New Braunfels and the coast. Although it is “technically “possible for bull sharks to swim in fresh water., there are most likely no sharks in the rivers of New Braunfels…probably…”

According to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD), bull sharks are common off the coast of Texas. Unlike most sharks, they can live in both fresh and salt water and have been found several miles upstream in the Gulf of Mexico.

The TPWD also says bull sharks have been found as far inland as Iowa, in the Mississippi River.